Give us better representation in assemblies — PWDs
The Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has called on the government to come up with a policy that will give persons with disability (PWD) a better representation in the district assemblies.
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The federation suggested that, at least, two competent PWDs should be appointed as members of each assembly to give them a proportionate representation in the decision making process at the district level.
The President of the Federation of the Disabled (GFD), Mr Yaw Ofori Debrah, made the call at a media briefing in Accra last Monday.
Membership by appointment
Mr Debrah suggested that the proposed membership should be part of the 30 per cent appointments made by the President at the district level.
He complained that because the concerns of challenged people were not factored into the country’s development policies at the district level, their needs had over the years been grossed over.
He said, the GFD had embarked on a number of activities, including the capacity building of some members, to make them competent and readily available to take up the suggested positions.
Mr Debrah said the federation sought to increase its representation at the district level from 18 persons to 432 of the 8,160 assembly members in the country.
“We have started training PWDs who are interested in contesting the 2015 district assembly elections and also providing them with the necessary funds,” he added.
The GFD president expressed the conviction that a better representation of PWDs at the district assembly level and on other platforms would act as a catalyst in the implementation of pro-disability laws.
Mr Debrah urged PWDs to not see their physical challenges as inabilities and encouraged them to rather partake in community activities to show their capabilities.
Common Fund
Mr Debrah expressed worry over the increment in prices of petroleum products announced in the recently read 2015 budget statement, pointing out that such increments automatically translated into increase in transport fares.
He would have rather preferred that the two per cent of the assemblies’ Common Fund allocated to challenged persons was increased to five per cent as he had already proposed, to ensure that the rising needs of the PWDs were met.
The Common Fund is a fund that the government allocates to the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies for development and out of which two per cent is allocated to PWDs.